Lidl has submitted a planning application to South Cambridgeshire District Council to build a new store in Northstowe. The planned store would be 1,529 square meters and include a bakery, customer toilets, 115 car parking spaces with two electric vehicle charging bays, and 58 cycle parking spaces. In a consultation, 2,500 residents supported the Lidl store in Northstowe. Lidl's expansion is part of a £600 million investment plan. The company has announced plans to open more than 50 new stores in the next 12 months, creating 2,000 jobs.
Northstowe is Britain's newest town and the UK's biggest development since Milton Keynes in the 1960s, with 10,000 homes planned by 2040. Currently, Northstowe lacks shops, including a supermarket, newsagent, or community shop, and does not have a GP surgery.
Lidl's nationwide expansion strategy includes targeting new freehold, leasehold, and long leasehold properties across Great Britain. Some of its new store locations include Abbots Langley near Watford, Warrington in Cheshire, and Thornbury in Gloucestershire, set to open this summer. Lidl has more than 1,000 stores across Britain, employing more than 35,000 workers.
Lidl has increased entry-level pay to £13.45 per hour nationwide, rising to £14.45 with length of service, and London starter pay to £14.80, rising to £15.30 with length of service. The company saw a 10% surge in sales over Christmas, with nearly 51 million customers, and made more than £1.1 billion in turnover in the four weeks leading up to Christmas Eve.
There is a need for a low-price store.
In addition to Northstowe, Lidl is considering a new store in Stretford on a disused garage site off Barton Road, with early plans submitted to Trafford council. The planned store would operate from 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sundays, with 102 car parking spaces. Trafford council determined that an Environmental Impact Assessment is not required for the Stretford Lidl store.
Aldi has submitted plans to Plymouth City Council to build a new store on land at Plymstock, where a new community of 1,684 homes is being built. The planned Aldi store in Plymstock would be just under 2,000 square meters, with 112 car parking spaces including 10 electric vehicle spaces, and create 40-50 new jobs. In a consultation, 92% of participants supported the Aldi store plans in Plymstock.
Aldi has announced a £370 million investment to open 40 more UK stores, with some already confirmed including Kirkintilloch, Eastbourne, Fulham Broadway, and Deeside. The company has also submitted a proposal to build a new store and drive-thru coffee shop in Devizes, Wiltshire, which is supported by the town council. The Devizes Aldi store plans include solar panels and EV chargers, and would create 40 local jobs. Aldi says its expansion plans aim to create 1,100 new positions and open 40 new stores in the near future.
Aldi has been consistently named the cheapest supermarket in the UK for weekly shopping.